Two years ago a Qantas flight attendant was awarded six months’ pay after being fired for stealing alcohol. Flight attendants were searched after a Perth to Sydney flight and he was found to “a can and a bottle of beer in his jacket, two 50ml bottles of vodka in his trousers and a 50ml bottle of gin in his bag.”
He claimed the beer in his jacket and vodka in his pants got there by mistake. He “inadvertently pocketed the beer and vodka while serving passengers.” And while he really had no idea, “the gin might have come from a hotel mini bar.”
Qantas accused him of stealing and lying about it, and fired him. He appealed to Australia’s Fair Work Commission who ruled that, while there was a valid reason for firing him, doing so was ‘harsh’ and ordered the airline to pay six months’ salary or AU$$33,731.
So what does it take to lose an appeal to Australia’s Fair Work Commission? Flight attendant Luke Urso found out.
Luke Urso, 24, claims he drank just ‘two peach martinis and three gin and tonics’ at the 230 Fifth Rooftop Bar in New York in 2017 but due to the bartenders ‘free pouring’ the cocktails, he ended up collapsing in the toilet and being rushed to hospital.
Mr Urso believed that while he thought he was drinking five drinks, he had really consumed the equivalent to 14 standard drinks – resulting in him unable to work his shift the next day and Qantas having to foot the $20,000 hospital bill.
…Mr Urso is still adamant it was not his fault he got drunk and he was tempted by the bar’s special offer on alcohol.
‘I got invited out by some friends and I thought, I’m in my favourite city in the world – why not?,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.
‘I got the house special, [the peach martinis] for $10 – I wasn’t going to say no.’
Qantas fired him. He appealed to the government. He claims he “remembers nothing about the night…and just remembers waking up in a hospital bed with his manager sitting beside him.” He says the manager told him not to work his assigned flight, and just to fly home, and since he “did what they told me” he shouldn’t be fired.
He also says he “had to continually send text messages asking” Qantas if he “had done something wrong” — the airline should have been more communicative with him rather than firing him.
This reminds me of the old Saturday Night Live commercial for the law firm of Green & Fazio.
No different than any unionized government job.
I’m not convinced that he should have been fired. Maybe given alcohol rehab would make more sense?
Not surprised.
Wasn’t there a Qantas flight attendant who joined the mile high club with Ralph Fiennes ten years ago and wasn’t she fired? I forget if it was Qantas or another airline. Either way, I remember she had no regrets doing that at all and good for her!
@Gene: Are you for real? Alcohol rehab? LOL The silly bugger should have been fired immediately and never be able to fly again.
He seems like one of those victims the world is full of right now. I say take responsibility for your own actions sunshine, you’re a grown-up thing. And then get the hell out of our lives.
I wonder if a passenger ever got pissed on a QF flight and honky decided to stop serving. Imagine then if said passenger came up with the same crock of shit excuses honky gave for drinking in NY and sued the dude. I wonder if it would play victim then?
@ robbo — Yes, I am for real. It there was genuine concern for the employee, this would be addressed as a health issue.
@robbo…I’m going to have to agree with Gene on this one. Alcohol was and has been such a big part of layovers. Not saying that’s good but will say that being “over-served” is certainly possible. I say this knowing that slinging cokes and sprites is much different than having a “window seat” in the pointy end.
I know from experience that bars & bartenders pour differently. But I can tell by the taste of my drink whether it contains a normal shot, half a shot/ way too weak, or a double! Also, that FA should have noticed how drunk he was getting.
I agree with Gene & disagree with Robbo that alcohol education is a more appropriate response than firing him. This is a teachable moment, where he needs to be taught how much booze is enough vs. too much, which will help him throughout his life, and his career(s) at QF or elsewhere.
If nothing else, this guy deserves to be fired for markedly poor judgement and blatant stupidity.
What exactly is “The culture that is Australia”?
This is harsh and unreasonable; he should have kept his job. At 24, he deserved a second chance. As for the medical costs: this was self-induced and he, rather than Qantas, should pay the hospital fee.
Most travelers on Qantas flights to ‘desirable ‘ destinations, eg NYC, SFO, LOndon will be all too familiar with marginal service on the return leg. Qantas cabin crew are notorious for their party lifestyle on layovers.